A Change of Luck
by DT1897
Summary: Tails has been a physical and emotional wreck since the death of Sonic, and simply cannot find a way to break free of the homeless lifestyle. But, one fateful day, a kind musician takes him in and shows Tails the true beauty of music and creativity. Now, the young fox will truly discover what his real passion has been besides engineering.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Metropolis…what a shit hole."

The warm wine bottle that rested in the fox's gloved hands was all that could soothe the intense pain he felt every sleepless day. Every time the liquid slid down his throat, the fox's abnormal two tails would flinch in relief. Intoxicated and trying to find the strength to get out of the cold and wet environment known as a Metropolis alleyway, the seventeen-year old vulpine groaned in agony.

" How'd it all come to this? I had friends, a home, … a love, and now, look at me."

The fox looked down at his dirty gloves, which were ripped and torn from years of living on the streets. His fingertips were frostbitten and numb, but thankfully, he could find a trash can fire and share it with another homeless person to make the numbness go away. The Vulpine gazed up at the cloudy sky with crusty, sore eyes, as he watched the snowflakes gently fall onto the ground. There was snow on the ground, but not the "fun" snow that you could use to make a snowman, or build a fort. No, this snow was soggy, weak, and had absolutely nothing to give to a living creature, but an early meal.

"Well, another day to survive."

The fox grabbed a clump of snow from the dirty pavement of the street, and willingly plopped it into his dry mouth. The helpless soul couldn't help but hum in pleasure, as the snow melted slowly on his canine tongue.

" Ah, that's the stuff. Now, time to mooch off some suckers."

Was the fox proud of what he was doing? Of course not. Everyday, it was the same old drill. Get off the ground, find food anywhere by any means necessary, grab your can, sit right back down on the sidewalk, and ask for money to buy a cheap bottle of booze.

"If only Sonic hadn't died…" The Vulpine whimpered. "None of this would've happened."

This homeless teen, Miles Prower, remembered his comrade's demise like it was yesterday. The hedgehog was so young, so kind, and so inspiring. Yet, all it took was cancer to slow the hero down.

" All I had to do was find that one last chaos emerald." Miles growled, as he clenched his hands into fists. "And Eggman beat me to it!"

He could remember the sadistic smile on Eggman's wicked face, as he waved the emerald at an awe stricken Miles, before throwing it into one of his explosive devices, killing himself in the process. The emerald was ultimately destroyed

A well deserved death, for an evil soul.

Although Miles survived the explosion, he had failed. He remembered the sad look on the faces of all his friends, as Sonic was taken out of his hospital bed, and finally put to rest.

Miles just couldn't bear to attend the funeral. If he was there, then he would've taken his own life right on the spot. He was sure of it.

Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Shadow, all of his friends that he had come to know and love had all separated. The Sonic Team disbanded soon after the leader's death. Then, there was Cream.

Miles loved Cream with all of his heart. She was just so sweet, innocent, and stunningly beautiful. With her light, rabbit fur and sweet mannerisms, the fox could not adore anyone more than her.

But, he hadn't seen her in years after Sonic's death. Sonic had been just as important to Cream than Miles. The hedgehog reunited her with her mother after Eggman kidnapped her. When Sonic passed away, Cream just couldn't pull herself together. Like Miles, she didn't attend the funeral. She just faded into obscurity. Nobody knew where she had gone off to.

"Well, she wouldn't want anything to do with a bum like me." Miles sighed, as he got to work.

"Spare some change?"

"Get a job, loser."

"Miss, can I have some change? Please?"

" Here you are."

"God bless."

The day had been going smoothly for the fox, as he was pleased with the amount of quarters, dimes, and dollar bills that resided in his steel canister.

"Hmm, just a few more singles and I can grab a snack from that convenience store."

Miles just kept asking for money from anonymous strangers. Every day, the fox was forgetting who he used to be. He could not sleep at night, knowing that he failed. In fact, during the night, he would go out into the empty streets and scream,

"Sonic! Where are you? Come back!"

No one would tell him to quiet down. Why?

The population of Metropolis has no time for the weak and helpless.

Following the Sonic Team's disbandment, the city had become a plethora of crime, pollution, and had an unwelcoming reputation. The people were unkind, the death toll was incredible, and unemployment was steadily rising.

" God, what am I going to do with myself?" the fox sighed.

"What the hell are you doing out here, man?"

Startled, Miles jumped at the statement as he turned his head to see whom the speaker was.

Miles' eyes focused on a pale colored man, no older than twenty years of age. The human had long and curly black hair, with short, stubby hairs under his chin. He was wearing a black sweatshirt that read "Dream Theater" and had fingerless gloves on. In one hand, the man was carrying a dark and soft guitar case. On the other was a small amplifier.

"Um, I'm just… uh…" Miles tried to say something.

"Trying to survive in this damn city?" the man finished in a humorous tone. "Man, I can't even remember a time when Metropolis had decency!"

Miles just looked up at the human in his intoxicated state.

"Is…this guy talking to me? Or am I just so wasted that it's all in my head?" The Vulpine wondered.

"Name's Robert. Robert Thomson. You?" the man asked?

"Miles Prower." The fox replied. "But, you can call me Tails."

Robert quickly noticed the fox's two tails that were lying by his side.

" I can see how you got that name." Robert chuckled as he began to help Tails up.

"Um, can you spare some change?" Tails asked as nicely as he could.

The man could only laugh under his breath at the question.

"You need a place to stay?"

Tails' eyes lit up at the question.

"Is this really happening? Is he giving me a place to stay? There has to be a catch!"

"Why are you doing this?" Tails asked.

Robert just stopped and looked around the environment that Tails had to live in every single day.

"Oh, I just have a feeling that you deserve better than this."

Tails smiled for the first time in a long time and followed the man down the streets of Metropolis.

"What is up with this guy?" Tails thought. "Why is he being so irregularly nice to me?"

Whatever it was, Tails was happy that he didn't have to sleep on the streets that night, or in a dumpster.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Robert and Tails finally made it to the cheap apartment that Robert was currently residing in. Though the floor was dirty and the lighting in the rooms had a dark overtone, the fox could not be more grateful. Inspecting the location some more, Tails could find a small, red, cooler, which he suspected held drinks. There was a wooden table that had three chairs, with one of the chairs having a wobbly leg. The fox also spotted a bunch of band posters nailed all over the walls. Some of these bands were groups that Tails had never heard of.

"Symphony X? Rush? Queensryche? Fates Warning? Slayer? …Dream Theater?"

Tails decided to forget the posters and focused on just how lucky he was to finally have proper shelter.

"I can't believe this!" Tails though ecstatically. "I can actually sleep tonight…for the first time in ages!"

"Well, here she is, Tails." Robert announced, as he proudly showed the fox his home. "I know it isn't much, but it sure is luxury compared to living on those dreadful streets."

Tails smiled warmly, as he thanked Robert with strong words.

"Hey, man, I really appreciate what you're doing for me right now. If you need any help around the place or anything, I would be more than happy to help."

"Oh, hush!" Robert laughed. " It's no problem at all, man! Like I said before, I just think that a guy like you simply does not deserve to be without a home."

All Tails could do was smile again.

" Well, need anything to eat? You look like you're starving."

The fox's smile brightened even more at the kind gesture. Despite all of the pain that resided in his body from years on the street, Tails still couldn't stop smiling.

"That's very kind of you, Robert. But, I don't think that it would be right to just come in here and eat what you worked so hard to provide for yourself."

Robert sighed in mild annoyance.

"Man, Tails, you are on the brink of fainting and here I am offering you some food! Come on! I'll make some pasta. My treat!"

Tails couldn't possibly avoid Robert's second invitation. The fox was starving and the fact that his stomach was growling like a wild beast did not help the situation.

"Well, I guess I could have just one plate."

"There you go!" Robert chimed as he dashed to the cabinets to get the noodles and marinara sauce. "It'll take me about a good fifteen to twenty minutes to get this all ready, so in the meantime, help yourself to a drink, and some TV."

Tails did as he was told and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler. Then, he plopped down on the couch and stared blankly at the small, yet functioning TV set that rested above a tall, brown dresser.

"I haven't laid my eyes on a TV in forever." Tails thought in nervousness. "What have I missed?"

Reluctantly, the fox turned on the TV. The bright light that resonated from the screen caught the fox off guard, as he blinked his eyes to adjust himself. When he collected himself, Tails looked up at the TV to find that it was the news.

" Today's top story, a family mourns after the sudden loss of their father, who was found dead by a street corner just a few days ago. Another murder in our beloved Metropolis. More on this after the commercial break."

Tails could only rest his back against the shabby, torn up couch, and feel sympathy for that poor family. The feeling of awful sadness, anger, and grief flowed through the fox's veins. But, he knew that he needed to keep his composure if he wanted to stay any longer.

"That's a damn shame." Tails sighed deeply.

"What's going on?" Robert called from the kitchen.

"Another murder." Tails said sadly. " Seriously, when did this city sink to such a low?"

Robert responded with a tone of repressed rage.

"God! I have no idea! It seems like every time I turn on that thing, there's another murder, or a drug bust!"

"Yeah." Tails agreed. " What else is on?"

"Well, I only have forty-nine channels." Robert said. "Tell you what, forget the television."

Tails raised a brow in confusion, as he turned off the TV and headed right back into the kitchen.

When the fox entered, he could see that Robert was almost finished with the pasta. The noodles that were boiling on the small stove left a pleasing aroma that filled the room. Tails sniffed in the scent as his two tails wagged in happiness.

"I can't wait to have some real food!" He thought excitedly.

"Tails, can you do me a favor?" Robert asked politely.

"Sure." Tails replied. "Anything you want man."

Robert pointed to a shelf that put Tails in a state of awe. The shelf was completely hoarded with music CDs. Each case was stacked in alphabetical order, with its label sticking out so that Robert could immediately choose what he wanted to listen to. The shelf sat proudly above the dishwasher, like a king on a well-deserved throne.

"Can you pick a CD out of that shelf over there and pop it into that stereo there? I think that you need to listen to some music to help you get more adjusted to indoor living again. No offense. I just think you need it."

"No problem." Tails said, still shocked at the large shelf, as he made his way to the CDs. "It'd be nice to listen to some good tunes."

Tails propped his elbow on the table that held the shelf, and decided to make a random decision on what CD he was going to put in the stereo. Carefully, the fox closed his eyes and snatched a CD from the shelf. Nervously, he opened his eyes to discover just what he had taken from that shelf.

"Rush: 2112." Tails read quietly.

Suddenly, Tails realized something.

"Rush? That was on one of the posters I saw when I got here!"

Eager to find out about one of Robert's favorite bands, Tails gingerly took out the CD from the case and walked over to the stereo.

"Sweet! 2112! One of my favorites!" Robert hollered from the stove when he noticed what the fox had picked. "You're a Rush fan?"

Tails looked up at Robert when he asked the question, and replied.

"Well, I've never heard of them before, but I guess that it would be nice to see why you have a poster of them on your wall there."

Robert looked up at the poster that the fox was pointing to.

"Yeah, man. They're awesome! Go ahead! Put that disk in and see for yourself!"

Tails wasted no time. He placed the CD in the stereo and pressed play. As the CD started to spin in the machine, Tails sat down at the table, thankfully avoiding the chair with the wobbly leg, and listened as the song began.

What came out of that stereo blew the fox's mind.

The title track of the album started out with a deafening howl that soon faded into a mysterious wave of sound. After the intro, the song went into an instrumental jam that simply took Tails' breath away, as the mix of the guitar, bass, and drums seemed to bring everything to a standstill.

"That's Neil Peart on drums." Robert informed. "Arguably the best of all time!"

"You don't say." Tails replied, as he was getting lost in the beautiful sound that was this song. Suddenly, a crash of lightning from the stereo snapped Tails out of the instrumental, as the fox listened to a faint voice sing silently behind a finger plucked guitar.

"**And the meek shall inherit the earth."**

Tails could not get enough of the song, as the voice told a story of exposing creativity and art to the masses of people living under a corrupted system. Every beat and every measure that the fox let crawl into his tall ears sent shivers down his spine, as the song spoke to him like no other song could before.

"God, this is incredible!" Tails thought in shock, as the song concluded with a breakdown of all of the instruments in the song, which represented a fierce battle between the rebellion and the corrupted system. The song finally ended with a deep, victorious voice announcing:

"**Attention all planets of the solar federation! Attention all planets of the solar federation! Attention all planets of the solar federation! We have assumed control! We have assumed control! We have assumed control!" **

"Soup's on!"

Tails snapped out of his trance, as Robert took the CD out of the stereo, placed it back into the case, and sat it back on its rightful place on the shelf.

"So, what do you think?" Robert asked, as he placed a plate of pasta under the fox's chin.

"It was unbelievable!" Tails chimed. "Thanks for letting me listen to it!"

"Hey, don't sweat it." Robert said while sitting down with his plate. "That's not their only good song though. There's _Tom Sawyer_, _Xanadu, Circumstances, Anthem, Limelight, Closer to the Heart,_ the list goes on, my friend!"

Tails smiled happily at that word. "Friend."

He hadn't been a friend to anyone in a long time.

"Well, I would certainly love to listen to some more of their stuff, if that's okay." Tails said timidly.

"Help yourself, dude!" The man allowed. " Just make sure you're careful with those disks! They cost a lot of money down at the electronics shop."

"I'll be careful. I promise." Tails replied strongly, as he took his first bite of the pasta.

It made him soar with ecstasy, as the noodles and marinara slid down his throat and plopped into his stomach.

"Oh, this pasta is delicious." Tails complimented. " I really appreciate this, Robert, I really do."

"Well, thank you." Robert replied gratefully. " Now, eat! You really need to get some food into you."

Tails nodded as he chowed down on the pasta, savoring every precious bite.

"How lucky am I right now?" Tails thought as he ate. " A few hours ago, I was just another bum in Metropolis. But, now, this guy is basically giving me a temporary home. But, why is he really doing this?"

" Hey, Rob?"

Robert looked up, while wiping his face with a napkin.

"Yes?"

"I really need to know why you're doing this." Tails pleaded. "I mean, all of this is really nice, but I just can't figure out why you would just let me into your home."

"Well," Robert started. " I understand why you're a little freaked out by all of this, but I see something in you that I haven't seen in all of the other damn people in this city. That 'something' is your kindness and will to live. I know that you're a person that does not deserve to be living on the streets."

"I don't know about that." Tails replied humbly. "I wouldn't call myself a person with too much of a will to live."

Robert's eyes dilated at the statement, as he asked,

"Why do you say that?"

Tails decided that there was no turning back now. He had to tell him why he was homeless in the first place.

"I wasn't always homeless." Tails began. "Before I started living on the streets, I had a life with a good friend of mine, who was kind enough to guide me through most of my parentless childhood. He taught me the true meaning of respect, kindness, and all of that other stuff. But, one day, I got the terrible news."

"What news?" Robert asked, perplexed.

"My best friend, who I had come to know as a guardian, got cancer."

Robert's expression turned from that of wonder into sadness, as he watched the fox tear up, as he continued.

"I did…all I could to save his life. And that last day I saw him, his fur was gone, he could barely speak, and he was reaching out to me. I grabbed his hand, and he told me that it was okay. After his death, I had no idea what to do, so, I fled into the streets, and now, here I am. I've never felt so empty since his death."

That was it. The fox buried his face into his hands and wept uncontrollably, as Robert quickly rose from his seat and rested it on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Tails." Robert said comfortingly, with tears in his eyes. "I understand what it's like to lose someone you love."

"You do?" Tails looked up, as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Sure." Robert said. "My brother died when he was fifteen, and I wouldn't come out of my room for months. He was riding bikes with a couple of friends, when he made a wrong turn and got slammed by a speeding car. The next day, he died in his hospital bed. "

The fox's eyes widened in horror, as he could see the pain in Robert's eyes.

"After that day, I swore that I would move on and try to make something of myself in this world. So, I turned to guitar, and I was off from there."

"Wow, I'm really sorry for your loss, Robert." Tails said sincerely. " I really am."

"Hey, thanks, man." Robert replied.

After their stories, Tails and Robert finished dinner, and went off to bed. Tails was given the couch to sleep on. It certainly was better than sinking into the filth of a disgusting dumpster.

"I guess that I really have to get my life back on track." Tails thought to himself, as he rested on the couch. "If I'm going to stay here, then I'm going to have to earn my keep."

With that mental note in check, Tails fell asleep with a sense of much needed satisfaction.


End file.
